Angle plow for plasterers



March 1963 R. A. SMYERS ETAL 3,079,622

ANGLE PLOW FOR PLASTERERS Filed March 18, 1959 IN VEN TOR. ROGER A. SMYERS LEONARD D. V4RRECCHIH BY & JOHN P- VARRECCfl/A A T TORNE Y United States Patent Ofifice 3,079,622 Patented Mar. 5, 1963 Filed Mar. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 809,230 3 Claims. (Cl. 15235.7)

This invention relates to an angle plow for plasterers.

Heretofore, tools referred to as plasterers plows and trowels have been provided for smoothing and shaping wet plaster in corners defined by adjacent walls of a room. The prior tools, however, have not been satisfactory, because they were difficult to operate and produced inaccurate or non-uniform results, particularly in corners defined by three adjacent plastered surfaces. In use of such prior tools, moreover, there often resulted an xcess of white plaster in the corners, which was required to be scraped out after it dried, in order to provide a smooth, square corner finish.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved angle-forming tool for plasterers, which can be used with a. minimum of manual effort to square the plastered corners, accurately, and in a manner which eliminates the aforementioned scraping operation after the plaster has hardened.

Another object of the invention is to provide an angle plow which will reach to the full extent of the apex of three right-angularly disposed wall surfaces, and including substantial extents of the two corner portions defined by the adjacent right angularly disposed surfaces.

These and other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

of the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, on a reduced scale, of an angle plow embodying the features of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation as viewed from the left of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view, illustrating the manner in which the plow reaches the apex of three right angularly disposed wall surfaces and including substantial extents of the two adjacent corner apex lines.

FIGURE 4 is a similar perspective view, on a larger scale, illustrating use of the tool for shaping a plastered corner portion between two right angularly disposed wall surfaces.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 4 in general, and to FIG- URES 1 and 2 in particular, the numeral designates an angle plow formed V-shaped from a sheet of thin, relatively rigid, but somewhat springy material, such as stainless steel approximately .024 inch thick, for example. The two flat sides 11, 11 of the plow may be in planes at an angle C slightly greater than 90, such as 9030, for a purpose to be described. The given angle C is maintained by means of a triangular shaped back 12 of the same material, formed with opposite flanges 13a, 13a, which are attached to the plow sides 11, by welding or other means. A handle or hand grip 13, is attached to the back 12, in a manner to provide a tool which requires a minimum of manual effort to use. Accordingly, the back 12 is arranged at a forwardly and outwardly inclined angle B of 1035 to the apex edge 14 of the plow sides 11, so that the axis of the hand grip intersects the extension of an imaginary line through apex edge 14, at a point P substantially in advance of the leading point L of the plow (see FIGURE 1).

Straight leading edges 15, 15 of the plow sides 11 are arranged to lie within a plane which is at a rearwardly and outwardly inclined angle A, such as 1035, to a plane at right angles and normal to said apex edge 14,

so that when the plow is presented with its leading point L in the apex of a three-sided corner of a plastered room, and with the apex edge 14 of the plow at a substantial angle, say about 1035, to the corresponding corner apex line 17, the leading edges 15 of plow sides 11 will be in position to coincide with the other two right-am gularly disposed corner apex lines 18 and 19, as shown in FIGURE 3.

In other words, considering the relative position of the plow 10 shown in FIGURE 4, with the apex edge 14 thereof at a relatively slight angle D (see FIGURE 1) of 5 to the apex line 19, for example, the efiective wall-engaging angle between the edges 15, 15 will be When, however, the plow is held at a relatively greater angle D of 1035, corresponding to the angle A of 1035, the effective wall or corner-engaging angle between the edges 15, 15 will be less than 90, or 8830. This last-angular position of the plow is used for recessing the brown plaster layers in the corners, in accordance with known practice for subsequent reception of the white plaster layers, in a manner and for the purposes to be described later. It will be seen, therefore, that the angles A, C and D, cooperate to produce at least two predetermined plaster-forming angles, depending upon the angle D maintained during plaster-forming strokes. To a certain extent, other accurately predetermined combinations of angles A, C and D may be utilized to produce substantially similar results, but the specific angles set forth above have been found to produce satisfactorily accurate results.

In use of the improved plow, for angle shaping plastered corners, it may be started with the point L of the plow in the ceiling corner apex as shown in FIGURE 3, for example, while the plow is held at said angle D of 1035, initially to make the leading edges 15, 15 coincide with the two corner lines 18 and 19. In the case of the usual white plaster coat the plow is manipulated from this position downwardly to shape the corner substantially to an 8830 angle. As the plow is drawn downwardly in this angular relationship accomplished by inward pressure on the handle 13, the angle D toward corner line 20 may be lessened to approximately 5 (see relative position of FIGURE 4), whereby the effective angle formed between the two adjacent wall surfaces, by the edges 15, 15, will be increased to 90. In other words, the combination of the angles A and C are effective to produce a wall angle of 90 when handle 13 is held and moved at a convenient and comfortable angle. Moreover, as best shown in FIGURE 1, because the vector focal point P of the axis of handle 13 is ahead of the point L of the plow, a mechanical advantage is gained to apply a greater degree of pressure at point L than would result if point P were the same as point L. Accordingly, the plow is operable for smoothly forming corners with a minimum of effort. All corner angles may be similarly formed.

In the case of the usual previously applied brown plaster coat, upon which the white plaster is applied, as described above, the plow is held at the relatively greater angle D of 1030 for forming shallow recesses in the wall surfaces adjacent the apex formed by three wall surfaces, through reduction of the effective angle between the edges 15, 15 to 8830, as described above. When the white plaster is applied in the recessed corner portions the normal tendency for the same to leave protruding portions when the plaster hardens will be obviated, and no scraping will be necessary to provide smooth accurately angled surfaces.

Modification of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

,l- A pla t f angle P 9 9; farm n in de a rn angles in angula-rly disposed plastered walls defining cornering apex lines, comprising a body formed of relatively thin sheet material to have opposite flat sides ex: tending laterally V-shaped at a uniform given angle from an apex edge thereof and having straight forward and rear edges, a substantially fiat back plate: rigidly affixed between said rear edges of said sides, and a hand afiixed on said back plate to extend rearwardly the rear side thereof, said straight forward edges of said sides being within a plane rearwardly and outwardly inclined from said apex edge, and the plane of said back plate being forwardly and outwardly inclined from said apex edge, said given angle being slightly greater than 90 and bearing a relationship to said rearwardly and out wardl-y inclined plane whereby said body is adapted to be held at difierent angles with respect to said angularly disposed walls to vary the effective angle between said forward edges in relation-to the cornering apex lines of V the walls, said hand grip having an axis thereof nerrnal to the plane o f said back plate and conyergin gwith, re-

spect to said apex edge of the body to a focal point on an im a e e t ns n 9f said a x edgs ub i nr tially forwardly of the body to minimize the amount of manual etfort required to operate the plow for forming the plaster, the space between said flat sides being free and unobstructed.

2. An angle plow as set forth in claim 1, said angle of said rearwardly. and outwardly inclined plane approximating 10-3 5'. Y

3. An angle plow as set forth in claim '2, the angleof said forwardly and outwardly inclined planeof the back plate being 1035.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 109,073 Streeter Nov. 8 1870 1,297,541 Campbell Mar. 18, 1919 1,321,532 Mann Nov. 11, 1919 2,608,853 -S chrepper Sept. -2, 1952 2,616,285 Schields Nov 4, 1952 

1. A PLASTERER''S ANGLE PLOW FOR FORMING INSIDE CORNER ANGLES IN ANGULARLY DISPOSED PLASTERED WALLS DEFINING CORNERING APEX LINES, COMPRISING A BODY FORMED OF RELATIVELY THIN SHEET MATERIAL TO HAVE OPPOSITE FLAT SIDES EXTENDING LATERALLY V-SHAPED AT A UNIFORM GIVEN ANGLE FROM AN APEX EDGE THEREOF AND HAVING STRAIGHT FORWARD AND REAR EDGES, A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT BACK PLATE RIGIDLY AFFIXED BETWEEN SAID REAR EDGES OF SAID SIDES, AND A HAND GRIP AFFIXED ON SAID BACK PLATE TO EXTEND REARWARDLY THE REAR SIDE THEREOF, SAID STRAIGHT FORWARD EDGES OF SAID SIDES BEING WITHIN A PLANE REARWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY INCLINED FROM SAID APEX EDGE, AND THE PLANE OF SAID BACK PLATE BEING FORWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY INCLINED FROM SAID APEX EDGE, SAID GIVEN ANGLE BEING SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN 90* AND BEARING A RELATIONSHIP TO SAID REARWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY INCLINED PLANE WHEREBY SAID BODY IS ADAPTED TO BE HELD AT DIFFERENT ANGLES WITH RESPECT TO SAID ANGULARLY DISPOSED WALLS TO VARY THE EFFECTIVE ANGLE BETWEEN SAID FORWARD EDGES IN RELATION TO THE CORNERING APEX LINES OF THE WALLS, SAID HAND GRIP HAVING AN AXIS THEREOF NORMAL TO THE PLANE OF SAID BACK PLATE AND CONVERGING WITH RESPECT TO SAID APEX EDGE OF THE BODY TO A FOCAL POINT ON AN IMAGINARY LINE EXTENSION OF SAID APEX EDGE SUBSTANTIALLY FORWARDLY OF THE BODY TO MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF MANUAL EFFORT REQUIRED TO OPERATE THE PLOW FOR FORMING THE PLASTER, THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID FLAT SIDES BEING FREE AND UNOBSTRUCTED. 